Io's atmosphere from microwave detection SO2

Details Io's atmosphere from microwave detection SO2 Io's atmosphere from microwave detection SO2

Aug 1990

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990natur.346..639l&link_type=abstract

Nature (ISSN 0028-0836), vol. 346, Aug. 16, 1990, p. 639-641. Research supported by NSF and National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

43

Atmospheric Composition, Atmospheric Models, Io, Microwave Emission, Satellite Atmospheres, Sulfur Dioxides, Atmospheric Pressure, Planetary Ionospheres, Surface Temperature

Scientific paper

The microwave detection of SO2 at 222 GHz in Io's atmosphere is reported. The observations imply an SO2 surface pressure of 4-35 nanobars, covering 3-15 percent of the surface on both leading and trailing sides of Io when illuminated by the sun. This supports atmospheric models in which the partial pressure of SO2 at the surface is determined by the Io surface temperature, favoring, in particular, the 'albedo cold-trap' models. The failure to detect H2S at 169 GHz suggests that the pressure of this gas is probably below 10 to the -10th bar. These results, taken together with Pioneer ionospheric data, suggest that an atmospheric gas other than SO2 is present. It is proposed that the locally buffered SO2 atmosphere coexists with a background atmosphere of oxygen with a partial surface pressure of about 20 nanobars.

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